Hirosige

The 53 stations of the TOKAIDO was first published about 170 years ago. and several editions were subsequently produced. The TOKAIDO was the main highway linking EDO with KYOTO, the old capital, and its route can still be traced to this day.
It was first laid out some 400 years ago, after EDO became the SHOGUN's capital. The 53 stations of the TOKAIDO series includes 55 points, depicting the 53 stops along the route, plus the starting and end points, EDO and KYOTO.
The series was the creation of the celebrated UKIYO-E artist UTAGAWA-HIROSHIGE, also known as ANDO HIROSHIGE. The first print in HIROSIGE's 53 stations of the TOKAIDO depicts NIHONBASHI in the centre of EDO. It shows the bridge in the early morning, as work begins for the day at the busy fishmongers' wharf. The retinue of a DAIMYO-one of the great regional lords-advances across the bridge. It is a dynamic picture, showing the hustle and bustle of daily life.
HIROSIGE's vibrant portrayals of the varied people, weather conditions and seasonal landscapes found along the route tapped into people's yearning to travel. The tagline for the series was "View as realistic as actually being there". This was why they were so popular they made people feel they'd been transported to these scenes.
This print is titled "Driving Rain at SHOMO". Here travellers have been caught in a sudden summer cloud burst. Three make their way uphill, two of the carrying a man in palanquin, while others dash down the slope, heading for shelter. The superb use of shading and colour gradations imbues the scene with a lyrical depth. In his works, HIROSHIGE made masterful use of a woodblock print technique called BOKASI, which is used to create a range of shading, from dark to light.
There are several styles of BOKASI. HIROSHIGE preferred a technique called FUKI-BOKASHI. First the plates are moistened. Then the pigment is applied with s brush. The image is then impressed onto the paper, using a baren, a traditional rubbing pad. This process is repeated several times, producing subtle gradations in colour. In "Printing Rain at SHONO", HIROSIGE uses six separate gradations of FUKI-BOKASI. It is tarks to such sophisticated craftsmanship that the 53 stations of the TOKAIDO series is a timeless masterpiece that still captivates people around the world.